Local educators discover county’s web-based resources

There is so much content on the county’s website that can be helpful to teachers, but some teachers just don’t know about this resource.

With that in mind, Westchester County invited local teachers to participate in online training and to receive professional credit for the work. Sixteen teachers from around the county have already taken this course (“Westchester Web & Video Resources For Teachers”). The course allows teachers to work at their convenience from the computer of their choice. 

The idea for the course came out of a meeting with the county’s Teachers Advisory Committee, which brings together county officials and a cross-section of local educators to cooperate on issues of mutual concern.

The curriculum was devised by the office of County Executive Andy Spano and his Department of Information Technology. It is sponsored by the Richard Gazzola Teacher Center in Yonkers, which has arranged for teachers to earn in-service education credit.

Using westchestergov.com as a platform, teachers will need to complete a variety of interactive exercises. The topics are numerous and sure to be of interest to many who deal with middle and high school students: Internet safety, cyberbullying, online mapping and global warming – to name a few. Links to various award-winning videos produced by the county are also included.

For example, in one exercise, teachers are asked to use the county’s online mapping tools to map their school districts and view aerial photography of their schools. In another, they are asked to read about the county’s energy-saving light bulb campaign and consider ways that they, their students or their schools could help reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Suggestions generated from the course will help shape future web and video development, as well as the current “Teacher / Classroom” section of the county’s site (see: www.westchestergov.com/teachers.htm).